For the most part he’s done well in his absence. Two of the last three years he’s won on the PGA Tour’s West Coast swing, at Pebble Beach in 2015 and at Torrey Pines in 2016. But after a five-month layoff last summer followed by so-so results in three West Coast events this year, he opted to skip Riviera last week in favor of returning to the Champion course at PGA National Resort & Spa for the first time since 2011.

“L.A. is a good golf course; this is a good golf course, too,” Snedeker said after wrapping up a 90-minute range session Monday. “I just needed a week off, really.

“This golf course is a brute, so you don’t want to be coming down here worn out. You want to be fresh, because it’s going to beat you up a little bit. You have to be really patient around here; you have to hit some good shots in some bad spots. You just have to survive.”

The Tour’s Rookie of the Year in 2007, Snedeker, 37, enjoyed the peak years of his career so far in 2012 and ’13, winning five times including the Tour Championship in 2012 and climbing to as high as No. 4 in the world rankings in 2013.

Ranked as high as No. 22 last March, he was sidelined by a sternum injury from June to November and has seen his ranking drop to No. 67. His best finish in five events since his return was 20th at Pebble Beach two weeks ago.

“That was the best I’ve played since I came back; my ball-striking is the best it’s been. (But) one day it’s one thing, the next day it’s another thing. I’m just trying to be consistent.”

Never long off the tee, Snedeker ranks 139th on the Tour in driving distance at 291.8 yards. But he’s been good as ever around the greens, ranking first in sand saves, fourth in scrambling and sixth in putting.

He plans a practice round today and will tee off in the pro-am at 12:15 Wednesday as he makes the same adjustments all Tour players make in bringing their games from California to Florida.

“Going from the poa annua and kikuyu (grass) is part of it,” he said. “Then you’ve got the wind, a lot of water in play, it’s totally different. So you’ve got to get your sight lines, get comfortable with the grass, with the chipping, that kind of stuff. That’s why I got in early.”

Snedeker played a Saturday round with Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines and is curious to see how Woods — who missed the cut last week at Riviera — fares in what has become his hometown tournament.

“He’s excited about playing, he’s practicing hard, he’s working hard. I’ll be shocked if he isn’t up there competing again really soon, because he’s still doing a lot of the same things he was doing when he was the best in the world. He hadn’t played tournament golf in two years, so he’s got to take some time to get back into it. It’s like practice speed and game speed; they’re two different things.”

Snedeker’s Honda history is less than stellar: In addition to his WD in 2011, he only played the event twice in the 10 years since it moved to PGA National, missing the cut in 2009 and finishing 50th in 2010.

One positive he pointed to is little has changed about the course in the time he’s been away.

“The only thing that’s changed is the 14th hole; they moved the green over (closer to the water). It was a tough hole anyway, so it’s not going to change a lot. Try to make par and get out of there.

“But I like the course; I like to play on tough golf courses where par is a good score. Scheduling wise it didn’t work out the last four or five years, so I’m excited to be back and remember why this course is one of the toughest we play on Tour.”